Over the past 50 years or so, scientists have become increasingly aware of biomagnetic energy which involves the electromagnetic energy generated by living cells, as well as subtle energetic fields, which interpenetrate and surround living organisms. (See for example Becker, R., and G. Sheldon, The Body Electric: Electromagnetism and the Foundation of Life, New York. William Morrow and Company Inc., 1985; H. S. Burr and C. T. Lane, in "Electrical Characteristics of Living Systems" ((1935) Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine 8:31; H. S. Burr and F. S. Northrop, "Evidence for the Existence of an Electrodynamic Field in Living Organisms" in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the U.S.A. 5:284; and, H. S. Burr, in "The Meaning of Bio-Electric Potentials" ((1944) Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine 16:353).
Vibrational medicine treats the human body by integrating and balancing the energetic systems which influence cellular patterns of manifestation. The basis for vibrational medicine is the finding that a series of interacting subtle energy systems help regulate cellular physiology. According to the theory of vibrational medicine, a person's body tends to resonate with one dominant energetic vibration and, when weakened or shifted from equilibrium, the body tends to oscillate at a different and less harmonious frequency. These imbalances can lead to dysfunction, and the restoration of balance assists the organism to regain its normal functioning. Anything which helps the body rebalance and/or restore the intensity of its energy can thus have a positive effect on health.
Acupuncture, acupressure, and electroacupressure are examples of therapies which help to restore energetic balance. The techniques rely on influencing and balancing patterns of energy which express through meridians, or microtubular channels, which carry subtle energy to the various organs and tissues of the body. In the 1960's, Kim Bong Han discovered these microtubular channels, ranging in diameter from 0.5 to 1.5 microns using microautoradiography (S. Rose-Nell, "The Work of Professor Kim Bong Han", (1967) The Acupuncturist 1:15).
Other therapies which have been used to restore energetic balance and/or energetic intensity include magnetotherapy, ultrasonic therapy and homeopathy. Each of these techniques works by precipitating change in energy fields, which in turn stimulates change at the physical level. In homeopathy, a person ingests an extremely dilute solution of a substance, often so dilute that no molecules of the original substance remain. It appears that the energetic frequency of the substance, serves as the active part of the homeopathic remedy.
In the Eastern world, a compound known as Shilajit (silajit) has a history of use as a folk remedy for various disorders, including genito-urinary diseases, diabetes, gall stones, jaundice, enlarged spleen, fermentative dyspepsia, worms, digestive disorders, piles, epilepsy, nervous disorders, eczema, anaemia, anorexia, asthma etc. Shilajit has also been used as a tonic to help retain youthful vigour. Shilajit has been administered either by itself or in combination with certain other ayurvedic (herbal) medicines.
Shilajit is a natural exudate ejected from rocks during hot weather in the lower Himalayas, Vindhya and other mountain tracts and Nepal, or it may be a tar formed in the earth from the decomposition of vegetable substances. (See the Indian Materia Medica, pages 23 to 32 for a detailed discussion of the composition and properties of Shilajit). It is a compact mass of vegetable organic matter, composed of a gummy matrix interspersed with vegetable fibres and minerals. Substances which have been identified in Shilajit include moisture, gums, albuminoids, calcium, potassium, nitrogen, silica, resin, vegetable matter, magnesium, sulphur, iron, chloride, phosphorous, iodine, glycosides, tannic acid, and a number of vitamins and enzymes. Shilajit also contains benzoic acid, a compound which, along with its derivatives, has been used as a component of nutritional vitamin and mineral preparations.